Nuclear Power - Introduction John Shanahan, Civil Engineer
President, Go Nuclear, Inc ~ 4,000 connections in 111 countries including USA President, Environmentalists for Nuclear Energy – USA ~ 2,000 connections in USA 2/21/2015
John Shanahan - Go Nuclear, Inc. & Environmentalists for Nuclear Energy - USA E-mail: acorncreek2006@gmail.com
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Nuclear Power - Introduction SAMPLE of John Shanahan’s professional connections
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JAPAN
CHINA
SINGAPORE
KENYA
MACEDONIA
SOUTH KOREA
John Shanahan - Go Nuclear, Inc. & Environmentalists for Nuclear Energy - USA E-mail: acorncreek2006@gmail.com
KYRGYZSTAN
PHILIPPINES 2
Nuclear Power - Introduction
Marie Curie France -
Saw beauty in nature and science.
- Nobel Prize in Physics, 1903 – with two others (discovery of radioactivity)
- Nobel Prize in Chemistry, 1911 (discovery of radioactive elements: radium, polonium) 2/21/2015
John Shanahan - Go Nuclear, Inc. & Environmentalists for Nuclear Energy - USA E-mail: acorncreek2006@gmail.com
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Nuclear Power – Today’s technology TED ROCKWELL World Who’s Who in Science from Antiquity to Present -
No one has died or been seriously injured from radiation by accidents at nuclear power plants designed to western standards (Three Mile Island, Fukushima)
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Daily operating costs, initial construction cost, are as follows: Oil 8.1 cents per KWh (4.8 times nuclear) Natural Gas 7.5 cents per KWh (4.4 times nuclear) Coal (cheapest fossil fuel) 2.2 cents per KWh (1.3 times nuclear) Nuclear 1.7 cents per KWh (construction cost for $10 billion plant with 40 yr life = 2.86 cents per KWh)
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John Shanahan - Go Nuclear, Inc. & Environmentalists for Nuclear Energy - USA E-mail: acorncreek2006@gmail.com
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Nuclear Power – Today’s technology
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John Shanahan - Go Nuclear, Inc. & Environmentalists for Nuclear Energy - USA E-mail: acorncreek2006@gmail.com
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Nuclear Power – Today’s technology Kelvin Kemm CEO: Nuclear Africa Pretoria, South Africa
FUKUSHIMA -
Total people killed by radiation, zero. Total injured, zero. Total private property damaged by radiation, zero. Expected long term effects on people, zero.
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A forty year old nuclear power plant, built to a sixty year old design, was struck by the largest earthquake and tsunami on record. The giant tsunami jumped the protective wall, and slammed into the nuclear plant. The plant survived that too…initially.
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Years earlier it had been decided to place the back-up diesel fuel tanks outdoors. Bad decision! Very simple fix. Completely harden fuel tanks and diesel generators.
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John Shanahan - Go Nuclear, Inc. & Environmentalists for Nuclear Energy - USA E-mail: acorncreek2006@gmail.com
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Nuclear Power – Today’s technology Questions and Answers • What defines a reactor accident? –Nina • Design Basis Accident Equipment failures or operator errors at a nuclear power plant with one in one million chances per year.
• Beyond Design Basis Accident A total core melt is an example of a Beyond Design Basis accident. Since the 1980s, considerations have been given to manage hydrogen buildup in the containment in this very unlikely event.
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John Shanahan - Go Nuclear, Inc. & Environmentalists for Nuclear Energy - USA E-mail: acorncreek2006@gmail.com
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Nuclear Power – Today’s technology Questions and Answers - Are nuclear power accidents avoidable? – Charles A, Bentley, Abe, Xi Accidents are avoided primarily for public safety and for investment protection. Avoidable by design, operating envelope, manageable risk or don’t use the technology. - What is the risk for another nuclear accident? – Jon K, Katie.
The risk of not being able to bring a NPP based on western design standards to safe shutdown for Design Basis Accidents is calculated to be less than one in one million per year. 2/21/2015
John Shanahan - Go Nuclear, Inc. & Environmentalists for Nuclear Energy - USA E-mail: acorncreek2006@gmail.com
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Nuclear Power – Today’s technology Questions and Answers -
Which nuclear power accident was the most preventable? (Kyshtym, Windscale, TMI, Chernobyl, Fukushima) add Hanford? --Brett Kyshtym accident was at a Soviet nuclear weapons production site. Hanford was a weapons production site without a major accident. Windscale fire was at weapons production facility. Chernobyl had a very sensitive core design characteristic that is not allowed in the west. The test that produced the accident was ordered by bureaucrats in Moscow who did not appreciate the sensitivity to the test. All weapons facilities were not designed to commercial NPP standards. TMI was a financial disaster. The public was safe. Fukushima – questionable plant location in high tsunami region. Could have hardened the diesel generators and their fuel tanks. Probably, Fukushima was the most preventable, just like many accidents at home are preventable. But they still happen.
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Did anything beneficial result from the Chernobyl accident? –Brett. We learned that even high levels of radiation dispersed in this manner caused little radiation sickness and no deaths to public compared to other industrial accidents. A lot of people claim otherwise, ignore the facts and live in unnecessary fear. Eliminating unnecessary fear is a big lesson learned.
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John Shanahan - Go Nuclear, Inc. & Environmentalists for Nuclear Energy - USA E-mail: acorncreek2006@gmail.com
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Nuclear Power – Today’s technology Questions and Answers - Will the area around Chernobyl ever be inhabitable? -Abe, Jack H, Jinze, Tom, Pat R Wildlife is thriving. Humans, who have moved back, are doing well. See PBS report “Radioactive Wolves.” Anyone can see that nature, plants and animals, are thriving and returning to the wild. - Why was Fukushima built so close to the coast, and did the accident contaminate the ocean? --Ali, Eduardo, Leah At tsunami free sites, it is less expensive to provide cooling from ocean, river or lakes than from the air. Radioactive material went into the ocean causing local contamination.
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John Shanahan - Go Nuclear, Inc. & Environmentalists for Nuclear Energy - USA E-mail: acorncreek2006@gmail.com
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Nuclear Power – Future technologies Charles Till Nuclear Scientist, USA Argonne National Laboratory
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Today’s Nuclear Power Plants: ~ 10,000 times more energy than fossil fuels
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Tomorrow’s Nuclear Power Plants: Per gram of fuel, uranium fission produces ~1.5 million times more energy than combustion of methane. Jeffrey Mahn.
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Already mined and milled depleted uranium can provide all electrical energy needs at 1994 level for 700 years with no need for mining coal or drilling for oil and gas.
DOE report says there is no use for depleted uranium. An earlier government report gave proof of the 700 year energy content of the depleted uranium. 2/21/2015
John Shanahan - Go Nuclear, Inc. & Environmentalists for Nuclear Energy - USA E-mail: acorncreek2006@gmail.com
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Nuclear Power – Future technologies George Stanford Nuclear Physicist – USA Argonne National Laboratory
A 10,000-YEAR PERSPECTIVE
Nuclear energy curve is based on breeder reactors and spent fuel recycling.
Relative magnitudes of possible fossil-fuel and nuclear-energy consumption seen in time perspective of minus to plus 5000 years. 2/21/2015
John Shanahan - Go Nuclear, Inc. & Environmentalists for Nuclear Energy - USA E-mail: acorncreek2006@gmail.com
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RISK of serious injury or death.
Walking – more than once in life time
Bicycle – more than once in life time 2/21/2015
Car – more than once in life time
Nuclear power – very close to zero in life time
John Shanahan - Go Nuclear, Inc. & Environmentalists for Nuclear Energy - USA E-mail: acorncreek2006@gmail.com
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WASTE FROM MODERN LIVING
Urban trash and recycling
Industry
Lost golf ball or per person life time volume of nuclear waste using breeder reactors and spent fuel recycling Coal plant solid waste, gaseous waste not shown 2/21/2015
John Shanahan - Go Nuclear, Inc. & Environmentalists for Nuclear Energy - USA E-mail: acorncreek2006@gmail.com
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Nuclear Power - Radioisotopes -Nuclear Medicine isotope production reactors, accelerators, shortages, needs
Robert Schenter Nuclear Physicist USA Chief Scientist, Radioisotope Production Expert 2/21/2015
diagnostics see diseases earlier: PET, SPECT, CT therapeutics treat diseases: cancer, heart, HIV, arthritis research new cures John Shanahan - Go Nuclear, Inc. & Environmentalists for Nuclear Energy - USA E-mail: acorncreek2006@gmail.com
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Non - Power Applications of Nuclear Technology - Agriculture optimizing water and fertilizer use, speed breeding of improved crops (greater yield, increased disease resistance, better nutritional value), insect control - Food Preservation and Safety kill bacteria, molds, yeasts, parasites, extend shelf life - Commercial Products Safety contact lens solution, cosmetics, baby diapers, band-aides -Environmental Protection environmental pollution, managing fresh water, guarding the oceans, understanding soil erosion - Space travel heating, electric power and propulsion for missions to the edge of the solar system and beyond 2/21/2015
John Shanahan - Go Nuclear, Inc. & Environmentalists for Nuclear Energy - USA E-mail: acorncreek2006@gmail.com
Alan Waltar, USA Global Consultant For Advanced Nuclear Power & Radioisotopes 16
Nuclear Power - Radiation Wade Allison, Oxford University, United Kingdom RED 40,000mGy per month fatal dose to Tumour cells in radiotherapy
Gray (Gy) is the SI unit of absorbed dose of Joule/kilogram (100 rads). The amount of electricity required to light a 1 watt LED for 1 second.
YELLOW 20,000mGy per month non-fatal dose to healthy tissue in radiotherapy with few % chance of cancer
Sample radiation dose limits
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GREEN 100mGy per month conservative safe dose limit in any circumstances (AHARS – As High As Relatively Safe) BLACK dot in green 0.08mGy per month (1mGy/yr) public limit recommended by ALARA/LNT
John Shanahan - Go Nuclear, Inc. & Environmentalists for Nuclear Energy - USA E-mail: acorncreek2006@gmail.com
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Nuclear Power - Radiation Jerry Cuttler Nuclear Scientist Canada Gray (Gy) Gray (Gy) is the SI unit of absorbed dose of 1Joule/kilogram (100 rads). The amount of electricity required to light a 1 watt LED for 1 s.
- Chronic radiation is beneficial < 700 mGy/year - Radiation becomes harmful > 700 mGy/year - LNT, Linear No-Threshold, radiation guideline is invalid, antinuclear ideology - Revert to 1934 ICRP guide of ~ 700 mGy/year 2/21/2015
John Shanahan - Go Nuclear, Inc. & Environmentalists for Nuclear Energy - USA E-mail: acorncreek2006@gmail.com
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Nuclear Power - Conclusions - Fossil fuels saved mankind from nature and nature from mankind. - A 42-gallon barrel of oil creates 19.4 gallons of gasoline. The rest is used to make many products for modern living. - Nuclear fuels, uranium and thorium, are the only long term energy sources. They may be able to supply all the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s electrical energy needs for as long as people will live on Earth. - Radioisotopes offer many products and create far more jobs and dollars for the economy than nuclear power. - Future will be very good with nuclear power and radioisotopes. 2/21/2015
John Shanahan - Go Nuclear, Inc. & Environmentalists for Nuclear Energy - USA E-mail: acorncreek2006@gmail.com
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Nuclear Power - Conclusions Dan Meneley Nuclear Engineer Canada Top priorities for coming decades: 1) Stick to well developed Light Water and Heavy Water technologies. 2) Build many LWR and HWR reactors around the world. 3) Build fast breeder reactors with spent fuel recycling. Other priorities: 4) Develop advanced nuclear technologies based on uranium and thorium. 2/21/2015
John Shanahan - Go Nuclear, Inc. & Environmentalists for Nuclear Energy - USA E-mail: acorncreek2006@gmail.com
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Nuclear Power - Conclusions Bruno Comby Environmentalists For Nuclear Energy, FRANCE Nuclear energy is a clean, safe, reliable and competitive
energy source. It is the only source of energy that can replace a significant part of the fossil fuels for millenia. 2/21/2015
John Shanahan - Go Nuclear, Inc. & Environmentalists for Nuclear Energy - USA E-mail: acorncreek2006@gmail.com
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WHAT ABOUT YOU?
1) Complete your education and have a great career. 2) Have a happy family and many good friends. 3) Insist that government work for plentiful, affordable, environmentally sound energy. Your life depends on it. 4) Go Nuclear website: go-nuclear.org (open March, 2015) 5) Thanks! John Shanahan acorncreek2006@gmail.com 2/21/2015
John Shanahan - Go Nuclear, Inc. & Environmentalists for Nuclear Energy - USA E-mail: acorncreek2006@gmail.com
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